Machine for separating cockle from wheat.



, c, P. BALLARD.

MACHINE FOB SEPARATING OOOKLB FROM WHEAT.

APPLICATION FILE-D APR. 8, 1908.

Patented June 8, 1909.

I auvzntoz m/T'Mhri Wikngobea Guam.

CULLUM PRESTON BALLARD, OF HUNTERS SPRINGS, WEST VIRGINIA.

MACHINE FOR SEPABATING COOKLE FROM WHEAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1909.

Application filed April 8, 1908. Serial No. 425,839.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CULLUM PRESTON BALLARD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Hunters S rings, in the county of Monroe and State 0West Virginia, have in vented a new and useful Machine for SeparatingCockle from Wheat, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to machines for separating cookle from wheatand it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of its arts ashereinafter shown and described.

y reason of the fact that the diameter of cockle is substantially thesame as that of the minor diameter of wheat grains it has been adifficult problem to provide mechanical means for separating thedifferent kinds of seed without entailing much loss of grain which isseparated with the cookle. In view of the fact that the major diameterof wheat is considerably greater than the diameter of cookle andfurthermore that cookle is substantially globular while wheat iselliptical in longitudinal section I seek to take advantage of thisdifference in dimensions between the diflerent kinds of seed to effectthe separation thereof without undue loss or waste of the wheat.

The object of the present invention is to provide mechanical means forso arranging the different kinds of seed that they may be positivelyoperated u on to effect the separation and with this object in viewa'table is provided upon which is mounted a plate having perforations ofsuchtransverse diameter as to permit the cookle to pass freelytherethrough, but which will not receive the wheat grains as they passover the plate with their longer diameters horizontal or transverselydisposed with relation to the said perforations. Means is provided forrolling the seed along the plate and said means is also so mounted as'toprevent the wheat grains fromrmoving end over end as they pass along theplate; forif such movement were permitted the wheat grains at timeswould enter the perforation by an endwise movement and should this occurthe grains of wheat would pass through the perforations and becomewaste.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a side elevation of themachine. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same with parts broken away.Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of a portion of the perforatedplate, and Fig. 4 is an end elevation of a modified form of the machine.

The machine consists of the frame or table 1 upon which is mounted inhorizontal position a perforated plate 2. The perforations are conicalas indicated at 3 in Fig. 3 with their smaller ends uppermost. Thediameter of the perforations in the plate 2 at their upper ends aresufficient to permit cookle seed to readily pass therethrough but is notsuflicient to permit wheat grains to pass therethrough when the longeraxes of the grains are transversely disposed with relation to theperforations. The shaft 4 is journaled for rotation at one end of thetable 1 and the sprocket wheels 5 are mounted upon the said shaft. Theshaft 6 is journaled for rotation at the op osite end portion of thetable 1 and the whee s 7 are mounted upon the shaft 6. The belt 8 passesaround the wheels 5 and 7 and may be of flexible material, such asrubber, canvas, etc. The cross slats 9 are mounted upon the inner sidesof the belt 8 and are provided with the recesses 10 adapted to receivethe sprocket teeth of the wheels 5. Any suitable means may be providedfor rotating the shaft 4.

The guide strips 11 are adj ustably mounted at the sides of the frame 1and lie over the ends of the slats 9 at the lower side of the belt 8.Thus the said slats at the lower side of the said belt and the said beltis maintained at a determined relation with the plate 2, the spacebetween the said plate 2 and the belt 8 bein just sufiicient to permitthe cookle to be rolled along the plate 2 and also to permit the wheatgrains to be rolled upon their sides along the plate 2 but the spacebetween the said plates and the lower side of the belt 8 is notsufiicient to permit the wheat grains to roll endover end.

It will be noted by referring to Fig. 1 that the ends of the guides 11are oppositely beveled in order to project under-the wheels 5 and 7,thus to permit the belt to be pressed downward toward the platethroughout the entire operative length of the latter, andthereby securea higher efficiency of operation than would result if the guides were ofconsiderably less length than the plate.

The hopper 12 is mounted at one end of the frame 1 and is provided witha chute 13 which communicates with the basin 14 located at the end ofthe plate 2. The said plate 2 is elevated with relation to the bottom ofthe basin 14. The discharge outlet of the chute 13 is provided with avalve 15 whereby the passage of seed from the hopper 12 through thechute 13 into the basin 14 may be regulated.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The mixed seed is placed inthe hopper 12 and the belt 8 is caused to move in an orbit in responseto the shaft 4 which is in a state of rotation. As the seed passes downthe chute 13 into the basin 14 bits of iron and gravel contained thereinbecome lodged upon the bottom of the said basin while the seed comes incontact with the belt 8 at the lower side of the wheels 7 and is drawnin between the said belt and the top of the plate 2. Thus the seed isrolled along the plate 2 in i the manner above indicated. The cockle isquickly separated from the wheat and passes into the chute 1.6 while thewheat is carried along and may be graded by varying the relative sizesof the perforations in the plate 2 toward the rear end thereof so thatwheat i grains of inferior size may be passed into the chute 17 and thebest quality grains pass 0H t of the plate 2 at the delivery end thereofinto i the chute 18. The guides 11 together with the slats 9 prevent thelower portion of the belt from bowing upwardly or concaving away fromthe plate 2 and the belt 8 is of such material as to impart sufficientfrictional contact to the layer of seed to keep the same moving alongthe plate 2 and at the same time possesses sufficient resiliency toprevent crushing or bruising the wheat grains.

In the form of the invention as illustrated in Fig. 4 the flat plate 2is substituted by a concaved plate 16 and the roller 19 takes the 2place of the belt 8. The plate 16 is spaced from the periphery ofv theroller 19 in order to receive the seed from the hopper 12 in the 1 samemanner as has been heretofore described. As the said roller 19 rotatesit carries the grain across the plate 16 in a layer and in the samemanner as heretofore described and in the passage of the seed across ithe plate 16 the cockle falls through the per i 1 frame,

forations in the said plate into the chute 1c and the wheat grains arecarried to the delivery end of the said plate from whence they fall intothe chute 18.

It will be observed from an inspection of the drawings that the strips 1l are ad j ustably disposed upon the upper surface of the lower stretchof the belt and that they are held against upward movement from suchposition by the engagement of the retaining elements of the machinewhich are engaged through the slots in the brackets which are disposedone pair at each side of the said belt, these brackets being indicatedby the 3 numeral 11 and the retaining elements by the numeral '12.

Having described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secureby Letters l Pa ten t is A machine of the class described compris ing aframe, a tiat plate disposed upon the and having perforations, wheelsmounted for rotation at each end of the plate, an endless belt, slatssecured upon the inner surface of the belt and extendingtransverselythereof with their edges in mutual contact. the lower stretch of thebelt being positioned to travel directly above the upper surface of theplate in slightly spaced relation with respect thereto, slotted bracketscarried by the. frame at each side of the belt and projecting above theplane of the lower stretch thereof strips loosely disposed upon theupper side of the lower stretch of the belt one at each side thereof,and means adjustably engaged through the slots in the brackets andbearing upon the upper sides of the strips whereby to hold the beltagainst up ard yield.

In testimony that 1 claim the folegoing as my own, I have hereto afliXedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CULLUM PRESTON Bill ,1 1A R l Witnesses:

ll. H. AnNo'r'r, C. ll. Anxo'r'r.

(itl

